"The scholars and practitioners who contributed to the report, published by Cambridge University, sought to answer a deceptively simple question: What does it mean to live faithfully as a Muslim in Britain today?"

MCB Statement on Wilders "Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, MCB Secretary General said: "At a time of heightened tension, with the unprecedented rise of the far right, we must all pull together and focus on points of unity and cohesion. Our unhealthy obsession with divisive figures only bolsters their objective to sow discord on the streets of Britain"."

"The British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has lauded the contributions of the Muslim community in the development and progress of the United Kingdom and said his country is proud of their achievements.

"Speaking at the Eid Milan reception hosted at the historic Durbar Court of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office here last evening, he said the Muslim community has been making positive changes in the British society through various means."

OU, Saving Britain’s Past, 12 October, BBC TWO, 7:30pm, "In a city of immigrants and their diverse communities, no street embraces and wrestles with the debates generated by multiculturalism and heritage as vibrantly as Brick Lane in East London. It has probably absorbed more communities than any other into its fabric, from the Huguenots to the Jews to the current predominant community of Bangladeshis. As each community has moved on, the buildings have remained the same, even as their usage changes."

I saw some of this programme, and thought it was very interesting, introducing some issues relating to architecture, sacred space, community, and identity.

Channel 4, 'The Enemy Within' "A cast of non-professional actors, young British Muslims, speak the words of the 19th-century Anarchists involved with the terror campaign. Their performances are intercut with interviews in which they explain how they feel about being a Muslim in Britain today." I haven't seen this yet - the C4 player gives a month or so to watch it...

Friday, 9 October 2009

A study day organised in collaboration with the BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group and the Muslims in Britain research networkSaturday 28th November 2009, 10.30am-4.30pm

Birkbeck College, University of London

Over the past decade there has been a significant growth of social science research on Islam, conducted against a backdrop of public and policy interest which can represent both an opportunity and considerable challenge to researchers in this field. This study day will be an important opportunity to bring together researchers with expertise in the study of contemporary Islam in the UK with other scholars of lived religion to share current research and reflect on developing trends and issues within this field.

A keynote address will be given by Prof Ron Geaves (Liverpool Hope University and chair of the MBRN) reviewing recent developments and future prospects for research in this field. There will also be an opportunity for short paper presentations for any form of social research exploring the intersections of Islam with identity, culture, institutions, performance, community and public policy.

Thursday, 8 October 2009

"This year, Pink Hijab Day will be taking place on Wednesday October 28th.

"According to the website, "Pink Hijab Day is intended to shatter stereotypes of Muslim women, as well as raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. All over the world, Muslims participated by wearing pink hijabs, pink ribbons, and donating to breast cancer foundations.""

"From a small country town to Cogan, near Penarth, the 69-year-old’s determination to “learn, breathe and live” the Welsh language can be seen worldwide via the internet as part of a project created by the Cardiff Welsh-language movement, Menter Iaith Caerdydd."

Currently reading an interesting article by my colleague Andrew Petersen on 'The archaeology of Islam in Britain: recognition and potential'. It appears in Antiquity 82 (2008): 1080–1092. Details and links: antiquity.ac.uk

Wednesday, 7 October 2009

"A new report on what it means to be a Muslim in Britain says that a secular British state allows Islam to be practised freely in an atmosphere of respect, security and dignity.

"The report exploring the philosophical and theological perspectives of the issue is titled 'Contextualising Islam in Britain: Exploratory Perspectives', and is the outcome of a nine-month project hosted by the University of Cambridge. A total of 26 Muslim scholars, academics and activists representing a diverse spectrum of views from Muslim communities in the UK took part in discussions about what it means to live as a Muslim in modern Britain."

"The report's contents are the ideas of a small group and they need to be refined by a wider number of participants," Project Leader, Professor Yasir Suleiman, Director of the Centre of Islamic Studies at Cambridge, said.

"The process has already succeeded in bringing together Muslims from a wide range of backgrounds who, in spite of those different backgrounds, have been prepared to work together. What we want to do now is stimulate further dialogue with a wider group of Muslim leaders and communities."

Tuesday, 6 October 2009

thisisnottingham.co.uk, Muslim website launch "The Nottingham Muslim Directory will enable visitors to access information about local mosques, voluntary and community organisations. It will also contain advice, links to radio stations and key events taking place around the city."

Inayat Bunglawala, Guardian, 'Comment is Free', Gay Muslims need support, 5 Oct 09 "In Muslim communities the issue of homosexuality is very rarely discussed in a candid manner and is all too often wished away as if it is an affliction that involves other groups, not them. Not far from the surface, however, are reports of gay Muslim men being pressurised into rushed marriages by parents desperate to avoid any social stigma. The woman's family is never told the truth about her husband's sexuality, of course, with the result that another soul has to endure unhappiness due to the initial failure to face up to the issue. It is a highly dishonest and unethical approach.

"Islamic scholars and imams should ideally be performing a much-needed pastoral role by helping in these situations and providing guidance. At the very least they should insist that any intimidation or discrimination against gay Muslims is unacceptable.""

This is a significant article, which will clearly receive a great deal of comment from all sides. There are many comments on the Guardian's own pages, including responses from Bunglawala.

There's some lively discussion on this at Harry's Place: "Here at the Spittoon we have tended to give Inayat Bunglawala a bit of a hard time. But we also give credit where credit is due. In that spirit, he certainly deserves credit that, on the back of a panel discussion about religious freedom and sexuality in Dublin (in which he participated with Peter Tatchell), he has just written a spirited defence of gay rights."

It will be interesting to track responses elsewhere to Bunglawala's line of thought.

Monday, 5 October 2009

Richard Reddie, Guardian, Why are black people turning to Islam? 5 Oct 09 "Black conversion or "reversion" to Islam is not new; it has been taking place in the African diaspora since time immemorial. However, I looked deeper into the phenomenon to find out why a growing number of Black Britons, especially younger ones, are embracing Islam. Although I am not a Muslim, I have always been interested in Islam – three of my all-time heroes, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X and Jamaican singer Prince Buster were Muslim converts, and I was intrigued by the way Islam inspired all three to transcend their respective vocations to become icons."

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About the Islam in Britain blog

This blog is a series of feeds and links to information relating to Islam and Muslims in Britain. It's part of virtuallyislamic.com. Earlier feeds in the Virtually Islamic blog on related areas can be found here. Follow my Twitter feed (@garybunt) here for regular updates on blog posts. I'm also active on Facebook.

I have a related chapter on Muslims in Britain and the internet in Postcolonial Media Culture, Rinella Cere & Ros Brunt (editors), (Palgrave, 2011).

Some of the content of this blog links into the MA Islamic Studies at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (previously the University of Wales, Lampeter) - specifically the Islam Today module. It also links into my level 5 undergraduate module Islam in the West.

Inclusion of headlines, links and comments does not imply endorsement by Gary R. Bunt. Links are for information purposes only.